Vaishakha Purnima day: A Life in the Day Of the Buddha

By S KRISHNA

Vaishakha Purnima day: A Life in the Day Of the Buddha

Pilgrims visit Bodh Gaya on Vaishakha Purnima day as it marks the three major events in the Buddha's life: His birth, enlightenment and passing away.

Born as Siddhartha Gautama on a Vaishakha full moon day, he married Princess Yashodhara when he turned 16, and 12 years later, a son was born to them. Soon after, he renounced the world and practised austerities and mortifications for six years. He was disappointed for he found no solution to human suffering.

Siddhartha meditated under a Pipal tree on a Vaishakha full moon day. Spending the night in deep meditation, he discovered the technique of Vipassana and the law of dependent origination. He realised that there was suffering in the world, and that we had to find a way to remove this suffering. He discovered that the body was made up of astacalaps - the entire mass of body and mind is in a continuous flux and flow of vibrations. An ignorant mind reacts to pleasant and unpleasant sensations gene-rated in the body, and this produces defilements. Once the mind stops reacting to these sensations, generation of new defilements is arrested. When accumulated defilements emerge, they disappear and the mind becomes free of them. Attaining supreme Enlightenment, Siddhartha became a Sammasambuddha.

The Buddha became liberated from suffering due to disease, old age, attachment, death and decay. He now discovered the noble Eight-fold Path. His first disciples were the Panccavaggiya Bhikkhus. Addressing them at Sarnath, the Buddha said: "There are these two extremes which should be avoided by one who has renounced - indulgence in sensual pleasures and addiction to self-mortification. Abandoning both these extremes, the Tathagata adopted the Middle Path which promotes knowledge and which tends to peace, higher wisdom, enlightenment and complete liberation.

The Eight-fold Path includes "right understanding, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration". He said: "Birth, decay, disease, death, attachment, unfulfilled desires - all lead to suffering.'' Further, he preached that, "It is this craving which produces rebirth, accompanied by passionate clinging, welcoming this and that (life). It is the craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence and craving for non-existence..." It is the complete separation from and destruction of this very craving, its forsaking, renunciation, the liberation therefrom, and non-attachment thereto.

Imparting the Dhamma for 45 years, the Buddha heralded a social and spiritual revolution by opening the doors of Bhikkhu Sangha to all people. At the age of 80, he visited Pava and stayed in the mango grove of Cunda. Falling ill after his last meal, he travelled to Kusinara, where he instructed Ananda to spread his upper robe between twin Sal trees, and informed him that the end of his life had come. A large number of monks and followers assembled around him to pay their last respects. He explained to them that the Dhamma would be their guide. He said: "Vaya-dhamma sankhara, appamadena sampadetha'' - Decay is inherent in all component things, work out your own salvation with diligence. The Buddha attained Mahaparinibbana on a full moon day of Vaishakha between 500-350 BC.

Buddha Purnima assumes great importance especially when the world faces challenges of violence and terrorism in various forms. Buddha said that just as fire cannot extinguish fire, war cannot solve disputes. Enmity cannot overcome enmity; it can be overcome only with love. Disputes can be settled through dialogue and negotiation, not by war.

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See also: Vaishakha Purnima day, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)